Asked about how the tariff plan was decided - and who was involved in those negotiations - Leavitt says the plan was discussed by the entire trade advisors team over many meetings.

She adds that the president made the final decision after being presented with a number of different options.

“The entire trade team is on board,” she says.

Leavitt is now asked about Trump's "one-stop shopping" comment on Truth Social. The reporter asks if the plan is to bring world leaders to the US to talk about tariffs.

She says Trump will have a "custom, tailor-made" approach to each country, which could include discussions on topics such as foreign aid or military presence.

She adds that negotiations will be based on "America's needs".

Trump is not considering an extension or delay on the tariffs, Leavitt tells reporters.

She spoke to him just before the briefing, and this was not his mindset - he expects the tariffs to go into effect.

Tariffs of 104% on Chinese imports will be collected beginning at 00:01 local time (05:01 BST) tomorrow, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms.

Leavitt is now asked about US Trade Secretary for Commerce Howard Lutnick’s comments that jobs like iPhone manufacturing could come to the US.

Leavitt says those jobs could “absolutely” come to the US as part of this on-shoring plan.

“[Trump] believes we have the labour, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it,” she says, adding the president is looking at all jobs, and that he wants them all to come back to the US.

She then touts Apple's investments in the US, saying they would not have put in that much money if they did not believe there was potential for growth in the US.

Leavitt is now asked about low-income countries such as Bangladesh and Madagascar being hit with high tariffs, and how Trump wants to correct trade deficits with these countries.

She says the reciprocal tariff rates were focused on monetary tariffs that countries have imposed on the US and also non-monetary tariff barriers and regulations that have been put into effect.

She says these were "carefully crafted numbers" and that the "world knows that they need the United States of America".

Leavitt is questioned now about the possibility of a recession in America. Goldman Sachs put the odds of a recession at 45% in the next 12 months.

The press secretary is asked if the president agrees with advisor Peter Navarro there will be no recession.

Leavitt doesn't directly answer the question, but instead says she can speak for "the optimism" that the president sees in the economy.

She also says the largest tax cuts in American history are coming.

She is pushed again on the recession question.

"Be mindful of the whole economic approach that this administration is taking every day," she replies.

A negotiation? Or not?published at 18:25 British Summer Time 8 April

18:25 BST 8 April

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Much of the questioning has, so far, revolved around the issue of countries seeking out the US side for negotiations.

The issue that has confused many, however, is that White House official and Trump allies - such as trade advisor Peter Navarro, have repeatedly said that these tariffs are "not a negotiation".

At the same time, the White House repeatedly, and proudly, has pointed to the dozens of countries that Leavitt says have the phone "ringing off the hook".

"The entire administration has always said that President Trump is willing to pick up the phone," she said a short while ago, adding that officials have been directed to work on "tailor made deals with each and every country that calls".

How this differs from a negotiation remains unclear.

Leavitt is now asked about a timeline or deadline for trade negotiations, after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said these conversations could take months.

She says Trump is focused on whether these deals are good for the American worker.

“We always move at Trump speed here at the White House,” she says, adding it’s incredibly fast and that all options are on the table.

Leavitt is now taking questions.

When asked if she can explain the shift in the White House from saying that "tariffs are non-negotiable to asking countries to begin negotiating", she says "it is a non-negotiable position that the United States has faced a national security and economic crisis because of the unfair trade practices by countries around the world".

She adds the administration has always said the president is "willing to pick up the phone and talk".

Leavitt says Trump directed his trade team to have "tailor made trade deal" with each and every country that calls the US for a deal, adding that the president is "focussed on putting America first"

She says she rejects that there has been an evolution: "We said on day one that the president will pick up the phone and have a listening ear."

Karoline Leavitt says that Donald Trump's "pro-growth economic agenda" will be fully realised in the coming months.

"Costly red-tape" is being eliminated daily, she adds.

She says their efforts will end the cost-of-living crisis that's "crushed" Americans.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

We've just begun the press briefing at the White House, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dived right into tariffs soon after beginning.

Accusing the media of "fearmongering", Leavitt pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit as a sign that other countries want to negotiate, along with calls from Japanese and South Korean leaders.

Leavitt says 70 countries have reached out.

"Countries are falling over themselves to reform their unfair trade," she adds. "These countries greatly respect President Trump in the sheer power of the American market. These countries realise they've gotten filthy rich by imposing substantial tariffs on American made products."

She added that Trump has a "spine of steel" and would not break when faced with retaliatory tariffs, such as from China.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has started her briefing, going through a number of announcements from the last week and what's on the agenda for President Trump in the next few days.

You can follow live by pressing the Watch Live button at the top of the page.

Image source, Reuters

While we wait to hear from the briefing room, let's take a look at what is happening at the Senate.

We're still hearing from US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at the Senate's Finance Committee annual hearing on the topic of US President Donald Trump's trade policy.

Greer says he does not trust economists' predictions that tariffs will drive up inflation, arguing that they got it wrong in Trump's first term.

"They said there would be inflation because of tariffs and it went down," he says.

"When I hear them now saying the same thing I just don't trust what they're saying." Greer claims the highest inflation was seen under Joe Biden in areas like housing, education and healthcare.

When if companies will pass costs from tariffs on to consumers, Greer says companies will figure out how to allocate costs between themselves, and that these costs "rarely get down to the consumer".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC

I've just taken my seat in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House, which is slowly staring to fill up ahead of a briefing from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that is due to begin shortly.

There's a great deal to discuss today, from potential Iran talks to immigration and legal issues about the administration's efforts to cut staff at federal agencies.

The prime topic, however, is almost certainly going to be tariffs.

So far, the administration has dug in to defend the policy in the face of mounting uproar - even among some Republicans and members of his inner circle, namely Elon Musk.

Stay with us for more updates.

Donald Trump's economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, says there are "a lot of concessions on the table" from countries keen to negotiate a deal with the US ahead of the start of tariffs tomorrow and suggests that some countries could dodge the new import taxes if Trump changes his mind.

In an interview with Fox News, later shared by Trump on his Truth Social platform, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said: "Right now we're managing a massive number of requests for negotiations" from various countries who want to try to reach a deal with the US.

Hassett says meetings had been prioritised with Japan and South Korea.

He adds: "There are a heck of a lot of concessions on the table, in the end the president of course is going to be the one who decides whether the deal is good enough to change his mind about the tariffs."

Mitchell Labiak
Business reporter

Major European markets are closed now, mostly ending the day up.

With the big European markets in the green today, it might be tempting to think the worst is over on the market turmoil front. Not necessarily.

Markets tend to rise a little after sharp falls as some investors "buy the dip" or wonder if a sell-off has been too hasty, but only a fraction of the value wiped out since Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs announcement has been clawed back.

Take the FTSE 100 index of the largest firms listed in the UK. It closed up 2.7% today, but it is still hovering around levels not seen since this time last year, having sunk over 8.1% since the tariff announcements.

Meanwhile, the German Dax closed up 2.5%, while the French Cac 40 closed up 2.5% - but both remained much lower than at the start of this month.

The real question is what markets will do over the coming weeks and months as tariff negotiations continue.

Sarah Wells, the founder of a small US-based company whose products are manufactured in China, calls the tariffs "unsustainable".

Wells, who runs a Virginia-based business selling handbags and apparel catered towards new mothers, tells BBC's The World Tonight that some of her products now have a "96.6% tariff rate coming out of China".

“Honestly I’m devastated", she says, "we believe very strongly here in the American dream - to be self-made, to be your own boss, to be successful... but I feel quite abandoned by our government”.

She explains that there is "no way" she could raise prices to sustain her business, adding: "If it continues to go up, there’s just no way - the honest answer here is that businesses like mine will just close.”

Nick Edser
Business reporter

Image source, Reuters

US stocks have rallied as investors hope that trade agreements can be completed to remove US President Trump's tariffs.

Sentiment appears to have improved as Trump said a team from South Korea is heading to Washington to negotiate on a deal and said "things are looking good", while US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Japan had sought talks.

The S&P 500 index has risen 3.8%, the Dow Jones is also 3.8% higher and the Nasdaq has added 4.1%.

Tech stocks are helping to drive the rises, with Nvidia up 7% and Tesla climbing 6%.

The rally in Europe's stock market has been sustained as well, with the UK's FTSE 100, Germany's Dax and France's Cac 40 all up more than 3%.

However, several analysts have said confidence in the market remains fragile, with AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould noting that "share prices seem to be hanging upon President Trump’s every word on the subject of trade and tariffs".

Image source, Getty Images

Let's take you back to the senate hearing now, which is examining Trump's trade representative Jamieson Greer.

Greer is questioned by Senator James Lankford, who asks if there is a timeline for negotiations being completed.

Greer says there isn't, because the “outcome is more important” than the speed, but adds that they are working quickly.

He adds that the president has been clear he doesn't plan to have exclusions or exemptions.